It is well known in the art pertaining to electrolytic nickel systems to utilize soluble anodes. The use of soluble anodes was prescribed because the prior belief was that organic additives in the bath would break down in the presence of insoluble anodes. Furthermore, it is known that the stress of the nickel deposit is adversely affected by the insoluble anodes. For various commercial reasons it would be highly desirable to use insoluble anodes in a nickel electroplating system without encountering additive break down or stressed nickel deposits.
Typical U.S. patents relating to nickel plating include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,228,991 (Freed); 2,409,119 (Freed); 2,409,120 (Freed et al.); 2,485,149 (Freed et al.); and 2,998,360 (Castellano). As far as can be determined, these patents involve the use of a conventional or modified consumable anode. See, for example, page 2, column 2, lines 53 to 64, of U.S. Pat. No. 2,228,991.